THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM KEY STAGE
The National Curriculum is organized into blocks of years called ‘Key Stages’. We currently offer 3 of the 4 key stages as well as a ‘Foundation Stage’ which is also known as the ‘Early Years Education’, and covers education for children before they reach 5 years of age.
THE FOUNDATION STAGE
The Foundation Stage is the first stage of the British National Curriculum that focuses on the distinct needs of children aged three until the end of the Reception Year at the age of 5. It is a broad, balanced and purposeful curriculum, delivered through planned play activities to help ensure all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential/ experience the best possible start to their education and builds on their individual needs and interests.
The Foundation Stage Profile is used to assess children in the final year of the foundation stage. Each child will have a Year 1 entry assessment towards the end of their reception year. The learning areas your child will be assessed in are:
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Personal, social and emotional development;
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Communication, language and literacy;
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Mathematical development;
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Knowledge and understanding of the world;
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Physical development; and
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Creative development.
Each learning area has Early Learning Goals. These set out the skills, understanding, knowledge and attitudes we encourage children to reach or exceed by the end of the Foundation Stage. The goals also aim to make learning a fun and challenging experience, and specifically recognise the value of play.
Children will be at different stages of progress towards these goals depending on their age and stage of development. Staff understand this and takes it into account when planning activities and will create differentiated and individual learning programmes where necessary.
All Reception children will get a report based on the Foundation Stage Profile. This will give you a clear indication of where your child is and what he/she still has to achieve. Verbal reports are given in March and September and written reports in June and December.
KEY STAGE 1
Primary school is where the foundations built in the Early Years Education (Foundation Stage) are extended and enforced. Key Stage 1 comprises of Years 1 and 2. SATS (Standardised Assessment Tests) are written at the end of Year 2.
Schools are required to provide a broad balanced curriculum and to teach the programmes of study in each national curriculum subject. English and Mathematics are a priority at Key Stages 1 and 2, as children need to become secure and confident learners in these subjects if they are to make good progress in their education. At the same time, rich and varied activities and experiences in the rest of the curriculum are also crucial to children’s motivation and progress.
We go beyond the statutory requirements and add to the curriculum in order to ensure compliance to the South African curriculum. We provide:
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Opportunity to explore South African History and Geography
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additional opportunities and experiences that enhance learning in national curriculum ubjects, for example excursions and camps;
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additional African languages such as Afrikaans;
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Extra Curricular Activities which are aimed at all ages and ability groups.
KEY STAGE 2
In Key Stage 2 your child will be entering a world of interesting challenges, excitement and discovery. Key Stage 2 covers the British National Curriculum from years 3 to 6. The curriculum subjects for this stage are the same as those for the Primary Curriculum from years 1 to 2.
At the end of Key Stage 2, each national curriculum subject has a target - your child should have reached the skills, knowledge and understanding at a particular level. Optional Tests are written towards the end of the year in years 3 to 5. SATS are once again written at the end of Year 6.
KEY STAGE 3
In Key Stage 3 your child will be entering the Secondary Curriculum. Key Stage 3 covers the British National Curriculum from Years 7 to 9.
A very important aim of the Secondary Curriculum is to create more successful learners who:
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Have the essential learning skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology.
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Are creative, resourceful and able to identify and solve problems.
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Have enquiring minds and think for themselves to process information, reason, question and evaluate.
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Communicate well in a range of ways
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Understand how they learn and learn from their mistakes
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Are able to learn independently and with others
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Know about big ideas and events that shape our world
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Enjoy learning and are motivated to achieve the best they can now and in the future.
Please visit the following websites if you require more information:
parentscentre.gov.uk ; surestart.gov.uk; dfes.gov.uk
WHY HAVE TARGETS AND TESTS?
Schools use them to see where children need to improve, so that they can tailor their teaching. Children get a sense of achievement from a milestone and going beyond it.
The target’s aim is to set a level that most children should have reached by a certain age. There will always be some children below and others beyond the target. If your child finds their work easy, talk to their teacher about what level they should be aiming for - they may require extension work. However, if your child is experiencing difficulties in any learning areas, they may require support work. All areas of your child’s progress and development will be closely and continuously monitored and parents will immediately be made aware of any areas of concern and suggest the appropriate intervention methods needed to assist the child.
The level descriptions provide the basis for making judgements about pupils’ performance at the end of key stages 1, 2 and 3.
The majority of pupils are expected to work at:
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Levels 1-3 in key stage 1 and attain level 2 at the end of the key stage
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Levels 2-5 in key stage 2 and attain level 4 at the end of the key stage
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Levels 3 – 7 in key stage 3 and attain level 5/6 at the end of the key stage